Mental Health

WASHINGTON — Amid a national emergency in child mental health, two studies at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting explored ways that mental health is and can be treated at schools.

The Biden administration has declared xylazine-laced fentanyl an “emerging threat” to the United States — the first time an administration has made such a declaration.

A federal judge in Texas recently ruled that a mandate of the Affordable Care Act requiring employers and insurers to cover certain preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force at no cost is unconstitutional.

According to Benjamin Maxwell, MD, the new division chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, responding to pediatric mental health issues often starts in the pediatrician’s office.

Improving the parental mental health and preschool attendance of disadvantaged children reduced socioeconomic differences in their mental health compared with nondisadvantaged peers, an Australian study found.

A recent study found that melatonin may reduce the risk for self-harm in youth, but experts recommend conducting comprehensive sleep assessments before initiation.

ED visits for suicide attempts and suicidal ideation increased among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

For the first time, a study found a link between the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on family finances and children’s mental health, researchers reported.

HHS has announced the availability of $25 million for the expansion of primary care — particularly mental health services — in schools.

HHS announced it has awarded $250,000 in emergency funding to Community Action Agency of Columbiana County to assist with behavioral and other health concerns for those affected by the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.